This invention relates to meat treatment apparatus and methods such as for example offset barbecue smokers and methods of making and using them.
Decorative meat treatment apparatuses and methods such as decorative smokers, decorative barbecues and offset smokers are known. One type of prior art decorative barbecue smoker is shaped in the form of an animal. This type of prior art barbecue smoker has the disadvantage of not being life like.
Offset barbecue smokers are known in which hot gasses and smoke from the firebox are directly passed to the grille for the smoker. This type of prior art barbecue smoker has the disadvantages of causing uneven cooking and smoking.
In another type of prior art offset smoker, the firebox is located at one end of the smoking chamber and below the smoking chamber. Hot gasses from the firebox rise to the top of the firebox and then flow into the smoking chamber. A flat plate separates the bottom of the smoking chamber where the smoke enters from the firebox and the cooking grille above the plate so that the smoke and other products of combustion flow along the bottom of the plate to the opposite end and then up and over the cooking chamber or grilles and out in an atmospheric exhaust that is located above the entrance from the firebox to the smoking chamber.
This smoker has several disadvantages, such as: (1) the air entering the firebox is atmospheric air at atmospheric temperature and requires considerable energy to warm the air up; (2) water, if water is used, or any liquid that flows into the smoking chamber may flow back into the fire chamber and cause difficulties at that location; and (3) the process cannot be controlled as to a temperature drop by varying the installation nor by the use of forced pumping of air through the hot products of combustion into the firebox.